{"id":73,"date":"2021-10-19T05:31:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-18T21:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/?p=73"},"modified":"2021-11-24T17:35:30","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T09:35:30","slug":"judah-of-the-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/ptr-nene-rubrico\/judah-of-the-bible\/","title":{"rendered":"JUDAH OF THE BIBLE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My Tuesday Reflection
By Ptr Nene Rubrico
19 October 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

———————–
\u201cA STUDY OF THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JUDAH: A wrap-up lecture given by Facilitator\/ Pastor Nene Rubrico in the online bible study virtual meet of the CRL Men & Friends, 16 Oct 2021.\u201d
————–
Introduction: <\/strong>Earlier, last Oct 13th<\/sup>, your OBSM facilitator posted on Messenger the following backgrounder ahead of the bible study via zoom:
JUDAH, which means in Hebrew \u201cThe Praise of the LORD,\u201d is the 4th son of the prophet Jacob and Leah. This means that he has three older brothers ahead of him by seniority. The relevant  story of his life may be found in these selected verses, namely:  Genesis:  Chapters 38;  42-45, and, finally 49:8-12. Our goal in this bible study is to individually and\/or collectively gain a biblical INSIGHT into this person, to the end that it may help us find application for our own life challenges today.
Under the agreed-upon session format, the following questions were then posed, to be voluntarily answered by the members, during the  class;  or,  in writing posted in the Messenger board or by email \u2013 at his\/their option.
QUESTION: What can you say about Judah\u2019s:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  (1).   Leadership? (Read: Gen 43:7-9);<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  (2).    Character?   (Read: 44: 18-34);<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0\u00a0 (3)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Blessing?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (Read: 49:8-12);

PTR Nene\u2019s Wrap-up of the discussions:<\/strong> Jacob, one of the patriarchs of the Hebrew people, had twelve sons, and each one would become the founder of one of the tribes of Israel. Joseph receives the most attention in the Bible, yet the destiny of humanity was tied to a different son. Throughout the story of Joseph, the Bible will take a detour to show a moment in the life of Judah \u2013 one of the sons of Jacob by his first wife Leah. Through Judah would come a powerful line of kings, a nation in its own right, and the salvation of the world. In the first accounts of Judah, there is no sign that any of these wonders would be from his line and life. Judah becomes an example of repentance and redemption, and an image of the ultimate redemption that was to come. Let’s take a deeper look into the life and story of Judah in Scriptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A.\u00a0 Judah’s Youth
<\/strong>1. In Hebrew, Judah means thanksgiving or praise – \u05d9\u05d4\u05d5\u05d3\u05d4. The name was appropriate, given the circumstances in which he was born. His mother Leah was Jacob\u2019s first wife, but not the wife he loved. He wanted to marry Leah\u2019s younger sister Rachel, but their father Laban tricked the young Jacob into marrying Leah first. Leah felt this coldness from her husband, and \u201cWhen the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb\u201d (Genesis 29:31a).
2. She bore Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and finally, Judah. She would have two more sons later, and one daughter. All total, Judah would have six half-brothers from Rachel, and from the two hand-maidens Jacob took as concubines at the cajoling of his wives.
3. As the fourth son, even of the first wife, Judah was not of any particular prominence in the family line according to Hebrew tradition. He would not have the privileges of being the first-born, nor would he have the special love from his father that was given to Joseph and Benjamin. As with the other brothers, this feeling of unfairness amongst the siblings grew into bitter jealousy.
4. When they threw Joseph into the pit, it was Judah\u2019s idea to sell him into slavery: \u201c\u2018What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh\u2019\u201d (Genesis 37:25). Rather than having the guilt of a brother\u2019s blood on his hands directly, Judah calculated to have him die in slavery.
5. In his youth, Judah saw his mother\u2019s rejection by his father, and grew callous towards his own brother for it. The Bible paints a portrait of an angry young man, whose bitterness hardens his heart into cruelty. His choice to marry a Canaanite woman, as recorded in Genesis 38:2, was out of God\u2019s will for the sons of Abraham as well, illustrating that he was not pursuing the things of God. This indifference to others appears to continue well into his adult years, until God sends a woman to intervene.
B. Judah’s Troubles
<\/strong>1. The woman God used to convict and transform Judah was not his wife. Three sons came from that marriage. When the oldest grew up, he married a young woman named Tamar, but Judah\u2019s oldest son, [Er]\u201c…was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord put him to death\u201d (Genesis 38:7b). Judah promised her a child by one of his other sons, but the second son [Onan] refused – and God also put him to death. The stated wickedness of his two oldest sons does not reflect well upon Judah\u2019s parenting. Much like Jacob\u2019s overt preference for one wife over the other, and her children over his others led to bad behavior among most of his sons, Judah seems to start off his adult life by failing to parent his children in a godly manner.
2. Despite having a third son [Shelah], Judah kept putting off fulfilling his promise to Tamar. By the customs of the time [\u201clevirate marriage\u201d], he owed her a child and his familial protection, but he sent her away to live with her father. After his wife died, Tamar took matters into her own hands. She dressed as a prostitute, and seduced Judah. Taking his signet, his cord, and staff for protection, she did become pregnant with twins. Angry when he heard Tamar was pregnant, Judah demanded to know who the father was. She produced the items from before.
3. Convicted of his wickedness, he declared, \u201c\u2018she is more righteous than I\u2019\u201d (Genesis 38:26b). He acknowledges his own failings in this moment, an act of repentance<\/strong>. After this incident, Judah\u2019s character begins to change. He cares for Tamar\u2019s twins [Perez and Zerah] and has acknowledged his fault. From here, the Bible presents this son of Jacob differently.
C.\u00a0 Judah’s Redemption
<\/strong>1.\u00a0 Through the years, Judah\u2019s family prospers, along with the other sons of Jacob. However, famine strikes the land of Israel. The brothers go to Egypt, where there is grain stored up for this period, \u00a0thanks to Joseph. Judah and his brothers do not recognize their younger brother, but are afraid when they see their money returned to them in their grain sacks, and are especially afraid that the second-in-command of Egypt demanded they bring their youngest brother Benjamin to Egypt.
2. The transformation of Judah and his rise to leadership<\/strong> amongst his brothers becomes apparent when looking at the way Reuben and Judah react to the demand to bring Benjamin to Egypt. Reuben was the oldest son of the first wife. By man\u2019s law and logic, he should have been the natural leader and heir apparent. However, when Jacob mourns at possibly losing Benjamin, Reuben makes a strange offer. The Biblical record states, \u201cThen Reuben said to his father, \u2018Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you\u2019\u201d (Genesis 42:37). Rather than putting his own life on the line, Reuben offers up his own progeny. He stakes the lives of two uninvolved individuals, rather than taking responsibility and incurring all the risk upon himself. Jacob rejects this offer. While part of the reason for the rejection may be because he was not ready to let Benjamin go, it can also be inferred that he did not trust Reuben to bring the young man back alive.
3.\u00a0 Eventually, Jacob had to relent or the whole family would have starved [43:14: \u201cJacob \u2013 IF I MUST LOSE MY CHILDREN, SO BE IT\u201d]. ..Here, Judah steps up and takes Reuben\u2019s role as the leader<\/strong>. When they go back, they know they must take Benjamin with them; \u201cAnd Judah said to Israel his father, \u2018Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go … I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever\u2019\u201d (Genesis 43:8-9). Where Reuben offered his sons as a ransom, Judah offered himself. He accepted full responsibility for the price of his brother\u2019s life.
4. In Egypt, he acts as the spokesman for his family, not any of his older brothers. When Benjamin is accused of stealing a cup from Joseph\u2019s household – though they still do not know it is Joseph – Judah again offers himself as the ransom for his brother\u2019s life. Eventually Joseph reveals himself, and the whole family moves to Egypt to survive and live together once more.
5. In these passages Judah acts as an intercessor<\/strong>, speaking for his family before a man to whom they owe much, who wields great power and authority. He then becomes the substitute, the surety that a debt will be paid. These characteristics foreshadow the role of Jesus Christ as the intercessor for mankind, and the substitute on the cross,<\/strong> who paid the debt humanity owed to the Creator because of its sins.
D.\u00a0 Judah’s Blessing to Mankind
<\/strong>1. There are many other individuals who provide illustrations of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament. Judah shares the special distinction, along with his descendant David, to be in the line that would beget the Lord Jesus.<\/u><\/strong> Jacob prophesies this over his son when he hands out blessings to each son.
2. To the fourth son of his despised wife, Jacob declares, \u201cJudah, your brothers shall praise you … Judah is a lion\u2019s cub; from the prey you have gone up\u201d (Genesis 49:8).<\/strong> This verse affirms what the Bible has implied through the story of Judah\u2019s life. He grew up in one circumstance, but by repenting and turning from his youthful wickedness,<\/strong> he grows to surpass his brothers in his father\u2019s eyes. Additionally,\u00a0 this phrase appears in the New Testament in Revelation 5:5: “Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. ‘” This is widely regarded as a reference to the Second Coming of Christ whom Judah foreshadowed as a type of CHRIST.
3. Jacob also says, \u201cThe scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler\u2019s staff from between his feet\u201d (Genesis 49:10a). <\/strong>This blessing predicted how the rightful line of God\u2019s anointed kings would come from Judah, in David. It also speaks to the eternal kingdom, and the eternal king – Jesus Christ – whose scepter will always reign. In fact, one of Judah\u2019s twin sons – Perez – by Tamar would become the next in the line that would culminate in the birth of Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
<\/strong>Judah\u2019s life provides an example of how God can transform and use anybod<\/strong>y for His purpose. From a worldly perspective, Judah was an unimportant son who grew into a callous teenager, and a poor father. God used his sinful and lustful act of sleeping with a woman he believed to be a prostitute to convict him of his unrighteousness. Not only did that act begin the line of Christ, but it is the moment that Judah became a godlier man. No man is beyond God\u2019s reach, beyond God\u2019s hope, and through Judah\u2019s descendent, mankind has the promise of salvation and everlasting life.\u2013<\/strong>God bless! \u2013 pn<\/p>\n\n\n\n

==============<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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